accusation. >> hello and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for. >> you we need partners you to fight terrorists. >> president obama calling for major changes in the way the world reacts to troubled spots p. new gun laws after the rampage in california, and poet

and actress maya angelou has died. >> america must always lead. those were the words spoken by president obama as he unveiled a major shift in foreign policy at west point partnerships with several countries must be made to fight terrorism. mike viqueira is live at the white house right now. give us a breakdown of america's speech. >> reporter: part reconciliation and part rebuttal to the president's critic who is have been vocal, and it's not just criticism of president foreign policy, criticism o.

the president said while america continues to be the indispensable nation, we need to partner with those against those who break international law. he announced a $5 billion fund for countries to partake in training around the country. he talks about working with congress to assist syrian rebels fighting bashar al-assad. let's listen. >> a critical focus of this effort is the ongoing crisis in syria. as frustrating as it is, there are no easy answers, no military solutions that can eliminate the terrible suffering any time soon. as president i made a decision that we should not put american troops into the middle of this

increasingly sectarian war. i believe that is the right decision. that does not mean that we should help the syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people. >> reporter: now after the call, del, officials had a conference call with reporters. they did not have detail with what the president proposes when he talks about assisting the syrian moderates, the opposition now is largely unified. another problem with the president's proposal is he has to go to congress, and to get authorization to further help to do over and above what the u.s. government is already doing to help that syrian opposition. >> the president going to europe next week with a major foreign policy focus on that trip. what can you tell us about that issue? >> this is more fall out on ukraine. saying russia is isolated,

holding it up as an example of the multi lateralism and cooperation with other countries used to offset this type of aggression and transgression. he has to go to poland now, a new n.a.t.o. member seeking reassurance and a long history with russia. there is a lot of anxiety in poe long island, the g-7 brussels facing a lot of opposition against further sanctions that the president has pushed all along if the russian aggression continues in ukraine. >> thank you very much. there are also changes involving those who have already served. the defense secretary chuck hagel now reviewing healthcare facilities stephanie sy reports. >> they have some of the best caregivers in the world. but their management has to

change. >> zag nab bit, he know that they can schedule people faster than they do. >> we served honorbly. >> reporter: they are veterans who fought long ago but now in a different battle. frustrated with what they call lack of care at veteran's care facilities nationwide. long waits in medical care contributed to the deaths of 40 veterans. >> whether it's allegations of centers covering up long wait time or cooking the books, i will not stand for it. not as command center chief, not as an american. >> reporter: the epic center of the scandal, the pentagon is getting involved, too. secretary of defense chuck hagel has ordered a sweeping review of the military's health system to begin immediately.

the 90 day study will focus on access to care, safety and quality of care at facilities which serve almost 10 million active duty soldiers. those facilities are not specifically related to the va but the veteran scandal sparked the investigation saying its fair to say that secretary hagel ordered this review in context of what is going on in the va to the degree we have same issues and we do not know that we necessarily have them, he wants to know and attack them aggressively. the announcement comes on the heels of two deaths as one of the army's busiest hospitals. those patients according to the army decide shortly after emergency rooms. "the new york times" report the deaths led in part to the center's top commander and suspension of three deputies. >> that's stephanie sy reporti reporting. syrian president bashar al-assad, running for

re-election in votings scheduled for next week, but some outside of the country are casting their ballots today, and they're making sure that their votes are counted. >> it's chaos as thousand and thousands of syrians has been here since the early hours of the morning trying to cast their votes. and you can see the crowds trying desperately to get in. some of them have been here since 6:00 a.m. in the morning. most we talked to said they were voting for bashar al-assad. some are staunch supporters, and feel this is a victory. >> many have left their homes

two years ago and have been living as refugees. they feel that if they don't vote their family in syria may be punished, and feel that their access to syria and their ability to return will change. they have to deal with this reality, and that's why they're here. we've seen pregnant women, children, and they're not moving away until they are able to vote because they want to be registered. >> and as you can see from the report, syrian refugees are scattered throughout the middle east, and they've taken up refuge in france. but those homes could be broken down because of an outbreak in

scabies. >> reporter: this is one of the camps that will be destroyed by the police. you can see the conditions here. it's extremely muddy and wet. to keep the rain out and you can see. now this is not the first time this has happened. france has a huge immigration issue with many people who come from syria and north of africa, coming across italy and heading here to france. but once these tents are destroyed many of these people say they have absolutely nowhere to go. they'll have to seek shelter on the streets. >> law make necessary california now looking at stricter gun control laws after that mass shooting in santa barbara that left seven people dead and 13 wounded. jennifer london is in isla

vista, california, where the shooting took place, what do the new measures aim to do? >> reporter: two measures were introduced by california lawmakers. one is seeking the gun violence restraining order bill. you can think of it as someone seeking a domestic violence retraining order. requested by friends or family, could go to a judge and seek a firearm restraining order, and the authors of the bill say they hope this gives families and friends the tools they need to take away guns from someone who poses a threat. currently under laws as they stand now it's nearly impossible to take guns away from somebody. interestingly enough the language was drafted last year but it was tabled. they reintroduced the bill yesterday in the wake of friday's deadly rampage. it will create a statewide protocol for these so-called

welfare visits, where law enforcement agencies are asked to go and check on someone who has a history of mental health problems. and in this case we know that the mother of the gunman, eliott rogers, asked police to do a welfare check. they checked on him last month, and they reported that yes, he seemed shy but lou syd and did not seem to pose a threat. they did not know that he illegally possessed three firearms. when police officers do welfare checks they are required to check for firearms. >> after the deadly rampage, how is the community coping? >> reporter: to say that this is a difficult time for this community is an understatement. they just returned fro to campus after the long holiday weekend,

and didn't even know about the shooting. many are shocked, i picked up the daily paper and it said shot from the memorial that they had, 20,000 people attended, and then on the back of the paper they have the names and photos of the six people on friday, and del, we know that there are grief counselors on hand to help the students as they return to classes today. >> returning to us from isla vista, california. thank you very much. poet and actress and activist maya angelou has died. she was 86. she had received 50 honorary degrees. we take a look back at her life. >> i'm a very hard worker and i've been very blessed. >> reporter: she was one of the leading literary voices, she was

more than a writer, she was an activist and historian. she was raised in the state of arkansas. her difficult childhood was reflected into her biography. she is lived a life of segregation and violence in her own home. she was raped at the age of eight and did not speak for five years. the serious calling center overseas. she wrote in egypt and ghana and learned to speak five languages. she continued to write publishing best selling titles. she acted in the previous tv series, roots. among her accomplishments, pulitzer prize nomination, and

honorary degrees and the presidential medal of freedom. >> imagine it, a black girl from a little village in arkansas, similar to this little town. this little village. imagine it. >> the poem she wrote for president clinton's inauguration in 1993 sold more than is million copies. >> come, you may stand upon my back, but seek known haven. >> maya angelou's life is not measured by moments of her breath, but the moments that take life away. she died in north carolina. she was 86. >> more on freeing the missing

girls. when we come back, more on bringing peace to that country.

>> it's now been nor than a month since those school girls in nigeria was kidnapped. president jonathan is expected to brief the country on rescue efforts on thursday. we have more from its capitol. >> reporter: the country's former leader are concerned about the ability to find and rescue the girls. the news agency are reporting that a meeting with boko haram was met to try to free the girls. we have tried corroborate the

meeting, but it has come back that no meeting took place. but he has been involved in trying to find a peace deal with boko haram. >> on a broader issue, it's been very quiet in the sense that there has been contradictory and conflicting information from various government agencies. there has been a determination to speak with one voice. but as yet nothing is fort coming. the former president will address the nation and it's expected that he will give us a briefing on the latest efforts by the authorities to try to find the girls and bring them

home. >> yvonne has been on the ground since day one. the government says that they know where the girls are but won't give any specifics. an activist for "common ground." she joins us by phone from nigeria. when you hear about any efforts to bring those girls home, do they support those efforts? >> yes, can you repeat the question? >> any efforts to bring the girls back with regards to negotiating with boko haram with the horrendous record that boko haram has in nigeria, do they support those efforts? >> yes, certainly. i think in nigeria, we will make

sure we wring back these girls. and of course the country is divided over whether we should take care of it, or impose the law and ensure these girls' safety. we are also very much saddened, of course, by the direction of efforts to bring back these girls. >> we have a nation of a full government rally but i think at this point we should go beyond this.

>> let me ask you this. are you confident that nigeria's government has the wherewithal to bring these girls home? we are very optimistic with the international communities. we also have to realize that people are talking about this, and they're very much unprepared

to deal with the terrorism in our country. we hope that the government provides more information on what they are doing. at least information that will bring hope and make sure that our government is actually working to bring back these girls. >> 9 basic question that seems to be burning on everybody's mind right now. we see a lot of conflicting information whether the girls have been located. do you believe the government when it says that it knows where they are. if not, what is the latest that you're hearing on the ground? >> yes, i think for me i don't believe that they know where

these girls are at. what efforts are they making to bring these girls home. this has gone on too long. they need to show that these girls will be brought back home. >> thanthankthank you for being. she joins us by phone from nigeria. coming up on al jazeera america, preparations are being made to remember the most famous battle of world war ii.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del wall tears. walters. these are your headlines. maya angelou has died. she had been battling health problems for years. she was 86 years old. the shooting near uc san da

barbara prompts a new discussion of gun control laws. rogers illegally bought the handguns that he used to kill seven people, he injured 13 people and then took his own life. the president saying while the combat mission in afghanistan is winding down america must forge new partnerships with countries arounaround the world to stop terrorism. ceremonies looking back at world war ii memorial begin in normandy. the d-day operation marking the beginning of allied forces invasion in europe, 5,000 soldiers were buried at the site where the ceremony will take place. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist dave warren with

your forecast. we're looking at the gull coast. this is a big storm but slow moving. there is this rain in one area. this is the radar that picks up the rain and it continues to add to the totals. the red areas have six inches of rain that have come down, and it's not done yet. this spin coming out of oklahoma bringing up a this rain from you had gulf and slowly moved in the last three days from texas to oklahoma and now across the southeast. the flooding is the big problem here. but with this powerful storm we're seeing spinning here with these storms. the tornado watch still in affect. certainly the potential is there for severe weather. flash flood watch over the area. looking at inches of rain in a short period of time flooding happens quickly. here's the weather pattern that

upper winds in canada and down to the east coast. this area, the bull's eye is low, and cut off. the storm does not move much, and it continues to spin bringing a lot of moisture from the gulf, providing the energy to keep that rain going over the same area. that is the big problem with this, and it will continue to slide east over the next three days. they're not done with this yet. there's the rain now coming over louisiana and moving into mississippi and alabama. but look at the forecast. just a bull's eye of 3 to 7 inches of rain going over that same area. this is a three day forecast. the rain goes down and then heavy rain spreads east. more flooding will be possible over the next 48 to 72 hours. the radar plus the clouds show that spin is not happening elsewhere. traveling up to canada. the possibility of a light thunderstorm or even the potential for the storms to become severe. the temperatures are into the

mid 60s and lower 70s. getting warmer towards atlanta. 49 in boston. 57 in new york. and 85 in washington, d.c. that cooler air bringing the temperatures down. no rain where it's needed across the southwest. the drought continues there, but no rain predicted. >> jake warren, thank you very much. remember the old saying, look, ma, no hands. what about no steering wheel, gas pedals or brake pedals. google said it's close to unveiling the first driverless car. the two seater is not up for sale for the public yet. the tops seats are 25 mph, but they're hopeful that the driverless cars will be on the road in a city near you. no room for drivers but perhaps two passengers. i'm del walters in new york.

and reminder you can check us out 24 hours a day at our website at www.aljazeera.com. we continue to follow the developments with the president's foreign policy initiative watt west point. details throughout the afternoon. >> the mountains of west virginia have provided generations with jobs in coal. but on january 9th, 2014, the state woke up to an example of the costs of it's industrial economy. a tank containing a chemical used the process of coal production had leaked its contents into the elk river, just a mile upst f